wjz is live at city police headquarters. mike hellgren stays on this investigative story for us. >> reporter: and police released the name of that instructor, william scott kern. they released it a little more than an hour ago. he has worked for the department for almost two decades. the fraternal order of police has praised his work. the state's attorney says he is closely monitoring the investigation under way. >> reporter: wjz is getting answers to some of the many questions surrounding the shooting of an officer during training at the state-owned rosewood hospital site in baltimore county. sources tell wjz, at the time, more than 1 dozen officers were undergoing training there by two baltimore city police instructors. those sources revealed, after lunch, one instructor decided to resume training before the other returned. wjz has learned that violates police policy. instructors are supposed to check for service weapons

before training. as we first reported, sources say it was after the lunch break when someone present confused his service weapon with the training weapon. they reportedly look similar, except training weapons do not have live ammunition. the bullet hit the officer who works for the university of maryland baltimore in the head. police identified the instructor who fired the weapon as william scott kern, whose work for baltimore city police for 18 years. state police will complete a criminal investigation and forward that to the state's attorney. >> we will sit back and wait for the investigation to be completed. and once that is done, we am review it and determine what if any charges need to be brought. >> reporter: the state still owns rosewood. baltimore county police have used it for training for years. but this is the first time the city used it for training. >> state police say the investigation could take weeks, telling wjz, investigators are continuing to conduct interviews with persons who were at the shooting scene. the investigation is being

conducted as a criminal investigation, with the purpose of determining if a crime occurred and is not an administrative investigation. an administrative investigation examines the adherence of personnel to department policies. the incident has already drawn outrage from elected officials. >> i was so angry, i was almost speechless. >> reporter: it connected sucks -- suspended six people connect the with the incident. training has also been suspended until they can figure out what went wrong. >> the training involving william s. kern, an 18-year veteran of the police department. much more on this. mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. and stay with wjz and cbsbaltimore.com for the latest on this developing investigation. when a university of maryland student went on a shooting spree, he killed one roommate and wounded another. tonight, that survivor is out of the hospital. he's home. and his family members are talking about this bizarre ordeal.

wjz is live. derek valcourt has more from the family of neil o. derek? >> reporter: kai. he took a bullet to the leg. tonight, his family says he is limping but lucky. >> reporter: police say 23-year- old graduate student dayvon martin had been diagnosed with a mental illness for more than a year before tuesday morning's bizarre rampage, at an off- campus house. he took his own life, after killing one of his roommates, stephen rane, and shooting another roommate, neil oh in the leg. >> we're just thankful he's alive. we don't know how he survived it. >> reporter: chris says his stepson and rane were both awakened by a smell of fire. when they went out together to put out the flames, green opened fire. >> saw the gun coming out of the kid's pocket and just had a sense that something wasn't right. and he turned to run. that's when he got hit. he felt his leg, something was there. and just decided, i just gotta

go, just gotta run. >> reporter: family members say although nal is at -- nal is at home, recovering, he isn't ready to speak to investigators yet, until after he speaks with the mother of his roommate, stephen rane. >> reporter: rane is slated to be put to rest in pennsylvania. >> as bad as we feel, we can't imagine how the other families are feeling, stephen's parents. makes us sick to our stomach when we think of that. >> reporter: police say in addition to the 9-millimeter handgun used in the shootings, green also had a machete and a 22-caliber semi automatic uzi in his bag. derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> the funeral for 22-year-old stephen rane will be at the mawger givennish funeral home. he will be buried at philadelphia memorial park in

fraser. repealing the death penalty. emotional arguments for what some say could be the year maryland ends capital punishment. wjz is live in annapolis. political reporter pat warren has more on today's important hearing. pat? >> reporter: that's right, mary. there were a lot of those people here today, advocates for repeal, think this is the year they will lay maryland's death penalty to rest. >> reporter: governor o'malley leads a crowd of advocates for repeal of the death penalty in the senate judicial proceedings today. >> the death penalty does not make us stronger or more secure as a people. nor does the death penalty make our laws more effective or more just. >> reporter: the governor calls the death penalty an effective, expensive and incomfortent with our -- inconsistent with our society's values. >> they were not founded on fear or vengeance, or retribution. >> reporter: but oppone wants argue the state needs -- opponents argue the state needs

more to prosecute more heinous crimes. scott shellen berger says he is not discouraged by the political clout behind repeal. >> i don't think we're at a disadvantage. i think we have a well-formed opinion. >> reporter: joseph casselly gave an example. >> felony break into the family home, beat the father, rape and murder the mother, rape one of the 11-year-old daughters, doused both of the girls with gasoline, set the house on fire and leave. now, you're going to punish that murderer the same as the 18-year-old who shoots the store clerk in a robbery? >> reporter: supporters of repeal have not been able to get a vote but are confident of succeeding this year. >> capital punishment is expensive, it does not work. and i humbly urge you to replace it, with life without parole. >> reporter: it has consistently stalled in the senate. but this year, senate president

mike miller has said he believes it will pass the senate. it will clear the house, go into law, and then go up for referendum. i'm pat warren, reporting from annapolis. now back to you on tv hill. >> okay, pat. thank you. we are watching it. the general assembly put tighter restrictions on death penalty cases in 2009. a messy and dangerous commute on some roads this morning. first warning weather coverage begins with alex demetrick, on the incredible number of accidents during rush hour. >> reporter: those accidents were spread over a number of counties. but the most seemed to be in anne arundel county, where there was the most serious crash of all. >> reporter: temperatures dropped low enough to turn overnight snow into thin crusts of ice. getting it off cars was the easy part. getting into work was the hard part. main lines jammed up, especially in anne arundel county. >> 9750. route 100. route 2. 695. we have reports all over county. the reason was ice-related accidents. at least 60 were reported

between anne arundel police between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. most were not serious but one was deadly. an suv apparently slid near gambrels, striking a cement truck. >> there was a fatality, an adult female, who was operating that suv. preliminarily, it appears the weather or road conditions was a factor. >> reporter: because it was a fatal collision, accident investigators spent all morning, collecting evidence. but roads weren't the only slick spots. besides responding to 37 car crashes, anne arundel county also responded to -- >> six falls due to icy conditions. >> individuals who had stepped onto the front of the homes and slipped. >> reporter: conditions as the morning warmed. >> reporter: style, the -- still, the timing couldn't be worse for the morning commute, which included that 10-car pileup. >> we now have the identity of the person killed in the collision with the cement truck.

she was 18-year-old alexis lewis. we're going to break from the news and talk about our weather. what a difference a few hours makes. it certainly warmed up outside this valentine's day. you're looking live over downtown baltimore. just a beautiful day out there right now. wjz's first warning weather team is updating our temperatures. meteorologist tim williams is out back. but first, let's start with bob in the weather center. bob? >> this morning, clear skies. temperatures dropped to 30 degrees. anything that was left on the roadways that was untreated or walkways was able to freeze. that's what caused the problems early this morning. right now, generally clear skies and milder air beginning to move in, particularly during the day tomorrow. but there's yet another system that will approach us tomorrow night. 47 now. 48 in d.c. 32 in oakland. dew point is low. 25 degrees. but tomorrow afternoon, we'll watch some clouds move in. very mild day. tomorrow night, a cold front will approach us. it will cross the region. and we expect to see rain and then snow showers in the region

on saturday morning. may even accumulate, an inch or so in some areas. and it will get progressively colder throughout the weekend. tim is in the outback. tim has a look at the rainfall amounts we've had so far this year. tim? >> we talk about how these storms have come through, one after the other. they come through every few days. it's hard to keep track at times of how much snowfall has come down. actually, snowfall has not been the issue. but in the accumulation of snow and rain, the total combination of the two, we have seen, since the beginning of the year, just around 4 1/2 inches. 4.63 inches of total precipitation. that's recorded at bwi marshall. the normal is 4.48. so while it has not all been snow, has not all been rain. we are above precipitation by about .15 for the year so far. this is one of those years where you'll look up and we'll say we've had a foot of snow. but it will come through one inch at a time, in 12 different storms. we'll keep you posted. for right now, bob will have your complete first warning

forecast ahead, coming up in a few moments. for now, back inside. >> tim, thank you. the disabled carnival cruise ship triumph is being towed back to port. here's a live picture. cruise ship on its way to alabama. it is estimated to dock in mobile between 10:00 p.m. and midnight. it is an agonizing wait for the people on board and the families awaiting them. >> reporter: the gang way is in place. the terminal has been scrubbed clean for the arrival of the disabled carnival cruise ship triumph. it's expected to be towed into the port of mobile this evening. 3,000 passengers, 1,000 crew are on board, many of their families waiting anxiously in mobile. >> i'm thinking that we probably won't see any passengers on the vessel until about 7:00 tonight, maybe 8:00. >> we came to get our girls. >> mary and kim drove eight hours from love kin, texas, to pick up their daughters, who are on the ship where with their dads. they say the girls have been

crying. >> mommy, i'm so scared. mommy, i don't know what to do. >> they were on cruises before. >> this is their sixth one. she knew. i mean, never had any problems. nothing like this happened. >> reporter: a fire knocked out the ship's power sunday. since then, passengers say life on board has been miserable and disgusting. there's been limited access to food and bathrooms. the kerrigans say toilets have been replaced by plastic bags. her daughter and her ex-husband have been eating onion sandwiches. >> she is crying. she said, mom, i am so hot because they put the mattresses in the hallway. >> reporter: the ship is expected to dock after nightfall. carnival plans plans to bus the passengers to hotels in houston or new orleans. >> reporter: carnival is paying for transportation and hotel rooms for the passengers. they're also giving a full refund for the cruise, a credit towards a future cruise, and $500 cash. in mobile, alabama, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> triumph's next 12 cruises

have been canceled, while the ship undergoes repairs and a major cleanup. cleanup seems like an understatement. >> they have a have the to -- a lot to do. still ahead. murder charges. the first double amputee olympian is now accused of gunning down his super model girlfriend. what police are saying happened tonight. the wrecker theater, undergoing a major makeover. from live acts to cliet nightclub. coming up, why the change is getting some backlash. chocolates and roses. baltimoreans are once again spending money on romance. i'm christie ileto. that story straight ahead. >> it was nice. hopefully more of that is on the way. don't miss the updated first warning forecast with bob.

it's clear.

and 47 degrees in central maryland. the complete first warning forecast is coming up. one of the biggest stars to come out of the london olympics has been charged with murder. police in south africa say oscar 50orias, an amputee sprinter, killed his girlfriend. rita nissan reports for wjz. >> reporter: police quietly escorted olympic track star, oscar pistorias, to prison in south africa. authorities charged the 26-year- old with murdering his girlfriend. model riva steencamp. police say she was shot four times inside the runner's upscale home. they've recovered a 9- millimeter pistol. >> a young woman did die on the scene of gunshot wiewmeds. >> reporter: 50orias is a hero in south africa, dubbed blade runner for his artificial, high- tech legs. he made records, becoming the first double-amputee ever to make it to the games. >> he anchored south africa's

team relay, here at the olympic stadium. >> reporter: he had been with his girlfriend for several months. hours before she died, steencamp tweeted about valentine's day, saying it should be a day of love for everyone. >> i knew her quite well. she was a humble person. she was beautiful inside and out. >> reporter: police say they have been called to the athlia -- athlete's home before for domestic trouble. authorities say witnesses heard screaming before the shooting. forensic investigators are testing 50orias for drugs and alcohol and are looking for possible evidence under his finger nails. the paralympic super star will face a court hearing friday. in london, rita nissan, wjz eyewitness news. >> south african media speculated pistorias may have mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder. here's kristy breslin with the wjz traffic control. >> reporter: well, a very busy ride home. no way around that.

west side inner loop, we have significant delays there from southwestern boulevard to liberty road. the top side inner loop, just crawling along there, from stevenson road to harfordz. also, see something very heavy traffic on the outer loop, beginning at dulaney valley road, over to 795. average speed about 25 miles an hour. traveling northbound 95. just bumper to bumper there, from 395 to whitemarsh boulevard. also, a couple of accidents. colgate road. hospital road at crain highway. also, dorsey road at harmons. let's take a live look. you can see, a lot of brake lights there on the beltway, west of york road. situation the same there, west loop, reisterstown road. this is brought to you by bge, smart energy save's program. fall in love with bge, cfe and energy bulbs. visit bge smart energy.com. back to you. >> kristy, thank you. well, charm city just got a little more charming this valentine's day. wjz is live. christie ileto explains how a

national magazine ranks baltimore as one of the best cities for singles. just in time for cupid. hi, christie. >> among other things tmeans baltimore's single lovebirds won't have to look far for love this valentine's day. >> whether it's flowers, bling or gifts, baltimore's single lovebirds know love is in the air. >> i was arounded by my -- reminded by my girlfriend. a few times. >> reporter: single men are expected to dig deeper into their wallets to please the apple of their eye, spending twice as much as those who are married. >> these are for my wife. >> uh-huh. >> and my 5-year-old daughter, whose favorite color is yellow. >> i do come the store every year at valentine's day. >> reporter: at o'donnell fluorest-- florist, it's been nonstop. >> we see a lovely, increased demand. >> reporter: while love birds, especially those flying solo,

are cashing out, businesses are cashing in. >> it's the largest, money- making day of the year. >> it's about 15 to 20% of the yearly sales. >> reporter: this year, the holiday will generate around $18.6 billion. the national retail federation says the average person will spend about $131. that's up from 2010. >> chocolates, even a night out are common valentine's present. the most popular is a card. >> nothing crazy. >> reporter: he is keeping his role simple. along with flowers for his sweetheart. >> i got pillows from ikea. and like maybe a picture or picture frame. >> reporter: because every lovebird knows it's not about how much you spend, but the thought behind it to keep your sweetheart happy. >> reporter: men will open their wallets, spending twice as much or more on valentine's president this holiday. >> kiplinger says the average date night in hollywood

-- in baltimore, will cost you just under $40. >> so men spend more. what's up with that? >> i don't know. that's true. maybe it should be equal. >> i'm trying. >> maybe if we go to movie and popcorn, that's under $40. >> that could be a nice date. take a look at temps now. clear skies. 47. west/noacialts west winds at 5. barometer now, beginning to fall. i'll tell you why when we come right back. mary and bob, it's valentine's day. love is in the air. here's a picture of the person who makes your heart soar. for a complete slide show, go to cbsbaltimore.com.

afternoon a pretty rotten start in some areas, we got down below freezing. and anything left out there was able to freeze if it was not treated with salt. most roads were dry and in pretty good shape. let's take a look at temperatures now. we have warmed up considerably. 47 now. 48 in washington. 40, ocean city. and chilly, 32 out in oakland.

locally, temperatures in the 40s. our normal high today is only around 45 degrees. and that's what we got to plus 49, 30 this morning. cold enough for any slush. any of that black ice ended up with water on the roadways to freeze up. that's what a lot of people did not see. 70 and minus 2 are records on this date. >> right now, light west to northwest wind. tomorrow becomes more of a southwest wind. and late tomorrow night and saturday, goes back to the northwest. that's going to drag very cold air back to the region. front down to the south causes some rain there in the gulf of mexico by the way, not far from the cruise ship. to the north of us, a weak flurry of low pressure passing across the great lakes is going to drag ahead of it mild air. and behind it, an arctic front coming through here early on saturday morning. what's going to happen is we'll get into mild air during the day tomorrow. tomorrow night, this front approaches. what we expect to happen with our front, moves offshore.

low pressure develops right offshore there. and drags some moisture into the cold air. it will be a matter of timing. but we do expect to see at least some showers of rain and then some snow on saturday morning. southwest wind, 5 to 10 knots. sunrise now, 6:58. sets nicely at 5:44. bay temp at 39. tonight, generally clear. it will be high clouds overnight. 31 by morning. just below freezing tomorrow. back up to 53. it will be warm most of the day, with sun. and clouds come in tomorrow night. cloudy. rain showers. and then transitioning to some snow showers. maybe an inch in some areas. maybe a little more in others, depending how strong that storm gets and how much cold air can get in. it will be a battle. but saturday morning could see some snow. >> all right. which is good on a weekend. thanks, bob. still ahead onune at 5:00. a woman police say was murdered by a man she met online is laid to rest today. i'm rochelle ritchie.

the new details into the group coming up next. searching for a cure. how a former raven fighting a.l.s. is helping in the race to bring an end to the disease. and here's today's report from wall street. we'll be right back.

beautiful out there tonight. it is 5:30. 47 degrees. good evening, everybody. and thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight.

a baltimore city health employee, murdered in her home, is laid to rest today. police say she was bound and killed by a man she met online. wjz is live at the crime scene on highgate drive. rochelle ritchie spoke with family and friends who called the death senseless. rochelle? >> reporter: well, hi, mary. we're in front of the home where jennifer conniers was found dead. today, her family and friends are filled with heartbreak. and they laid her to rest this afternoon. >> reporter: broken hearts pour out of sharp street memorial united methodist church, as friends and family say goodbye to jennifer conniers, a health employee found murdered in her home. >> it's a senseless tragedy. it's terrible. >> reporter: police have her alleged killer behind bars. >> i don't know what else to call him but an animal, behind bars, for an absolutely egreejious murder. >> reporter: the circumstance -- egregious murder.

>> the circumstances, unfathomable. >> it's a tragedy, her death. she was loving and kind. >> reporter: according to the documents, baltimore city firefighters responded to a house fire on highgate drive. they found conniers' lifeless body found lifeless in the basement. they believe he tied her up with wires and cords and dragged her to the basement. they also found a large area of blood on the floor of the bedroom. conniers was taken into custody after he was found driving her vehicle. he told police he had been using cocaine and heroin for several days and met conniers through an online dating website. a popular tool that can be a deadly way to find love. >> if you're a predator and you seek to harm people, these sites are the perfect hunting ground. >> justice and healing are what they seek. >> how does the family move forward? >> through christ who strengthens us. >> reporter: and carter is also charged with theft, robbery and

arson. >> police say carter used conniers' debit cards to purchase items to sell for drugs. marching to end violence, happening right now in baltimore and around the world. a small amount of activists are coming together here and other places to bring attention to the issue of violence against women and girls. the event, called 1 billion rising was created by eve enzler, the author of the vagina monologues. she hopes to end violence to women and girls by raising awareness and sparking conversations. the group will march from the washington monument to the maryland institute college of art. a towson concert venue, undergoing major conversion into a nightclub. but as wjz's monique griego explains, after a riot in september, the rutgers' theater new move has its critics. >> reporter: after years of hosting live bands, the record theater on towson is getting a

major makeover. >> the place has been ridden hard over the years, with the amount of shows we've had. and we're going to make it pretty again. >> reporter: co-owner brian rutger says the rundown venue will soon be revamped into torrent nightclub, upscale nightclub and bar. they say this due to slumping sales and increased competition from larger venues. >> they just started picking away at the business we were doing. >> reporter: but the conversion has its critics. you tube video shows what happened last september, after an event at the theater turned into a riot. one person was shot. baltimore county councilman david marks, declined an interview but told our partners at the baltimore of baltimore sun, he and other community members are concerned about the amount of people a nightclub would draw to the area. nancy hafroad from the towson chamber of commerce disagreed, saying one thing shouldn't

cover over what they have done. >> a newly opened lounge in the towson tavern restaurant are all part of an effort to breathe new life into the area. >> we just want to do business. and i don't mind being scrutinized because, you know, you have to do best for the town. >> reporter: he said he doesn't have an exact date for when it will open. but he is hoping as soon as possible. reporting from towson, monique griego, wjz eyewitness news. >> baltimore county executive kevin cam nit came out in support of the -- cammenin came out in support. the death of a towson swimmer at the north baltimore aquatic center, has been ruled accidental. louis lowenthal was found at the bottom of the pool after training october 8th. the autopsy said he was in cardiac arrest when he was

pulled from the water. it went on to say he suffered a brain injury due to lack of oxygen. he was pronounced dead three days later. ending a crippling disease he's living with. as mike schuh reports, o.j. brigants is helping to raise awareness for als. >> reporter: seven years after helping the ravens win their first super bowl, o.j. brigants learns he has a.l.s. he is now a player executive with the club. >> i am very honored when people say i am an inspiration. my belief is that the same fight deep in my heart is available to everybody. >> his brain no longer controls his muscles. physically, he's paralyzed. but mentally, he's unchanged. his struggle, his journey, inspired his team otheir journey. >> o.j. brigants said it we're a team of vision. >> for o.j. >> reporter: even the president

was inspired. 5600 people in the u.s. gets als each year. o.j. happens to live in one of the places doing serious als research. the highly respected packard center at hopkins. >> o.j. has been a wonderful ambassador for als for years. >> reporter: o.j. has been able to raise awareness. now, he has given packard $25 million. >> this is an exciting initiative, pioneered by dr. dan doctorov. >> reporter: this will allow them to better collaborate and develop therapies. such therapy may be too late for o.j. he has already lived longer than most als patients. but it could help those who are not even aware that this debilitating disease is in their future. mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news. >> unlike the research being given to hopkins, o.j.'s foundation helps to fund the

needs of individual a.l.s. patients. time for a quick look at some of the stories you'll find in tomorrow morning's edition of the baltimore sun. 12 things to help you survive the last month of winter. reviews of this week's new movies. and reports from the orioles spring camp in sunny sarasota. for these stories and more, read tomorrow's baltimore sun. and remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warn whrg team. -- warning team. as rome prepares for the upcoming conclave to elect the new pope, there is new information this morning from the vatican about the health of pope benedict. danielle nottingham has the latest for wjz, from the vatican. >> reporter: the vatican has revealed that pope benedict's closest aide will remain as his private secretary and will also run the new pope's household. the dual role for monsignor giller gynesign is raising questions about how much influence benedict will have

over his successor. >> no one has said exactly mahe's going to do. and it will be benedict who decides what he does do ask doesn't do. even the pope's brother has said the new pope would be wise to consult the former pope from time to time. >> reporter: the pope told parish priests in rome thursday morning, he will be hidden from view, after he steps down. the holy father says he will live a life of prayer. in a former monestary inside the vatican walls. >> reporter: even though pope benedict is expected to be out of sight, images of him around the vatican will be around for many years to come. >> reporter: tourists who make the pilgrimage here buy all sorts of le -- religious souvenirs. many still have pope john paul ii. the election of the new pope is also expected to bring an economic boom to rome. >> we're increasing all our services. social services. all of our security.

>> reporter: 4 million pill pilgrims came for the last conclave in 2005. the city of rome is getting ready for the same number this time. at the vatican, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> and the vatican acknowledged for the first time that pope benedict hit his head in a hotel room during a trip to mexico last year. church officials say the accident has nothing to do with the pontiff's decision, though, to retire. still ahead on eyewitness news. not a bad man. why two of ex-lapd christopher dorner's final victims say they felt compassion for their captor. i'm bob turk in the first warning weather center. after a warmer friday, more wintry precip is possible. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. and here's today's cold, cough and flu report. we'll be right back.

beautiful sunset there. one of the few high clouds coming in. but a warm end to the week. followed by big changes again. tim has a look at that five-day forecast. tim? >> temperatures do drop tonight. but most of what was on the roads this morning, has now simply dried up under the sunshine and the light breeze. we go down to 34. that's where we start tomorrow with a good bit of sunshine. clouds will increase through the day. the daytime high, however, in the low 50s. we'll call it about 53. and overnight lows down in the 30s. and late tomorrow night, into saturday morning, we expect to see another round of light accumulation across the area. for the next five days, sending

in to bob. >> looks like 47. can't really snow at 47. but it will be back in the 30s tomorrow night. eventually down to about 32. very critical temps. saturday morning. we'll look for rain, snow -- maybe generally a mix. but we'll see accumulations. particularly north of the city. and even southeast of the city perhaps. 40, down to 26. getting cold for sunday. 34. 40 on monday. another chance of rain, looks like, on tuesday. back up in the mid-40s. so it's going to get cold once again. kai? >> bob, thank you. u.s. airways and american airlines will be taking off together in an $11 billion merger. today's announcement creates the world's biggest airline. the new company will use the american airlines name, but they say it will be months bench passengers notice any changes. u.s. airways started pursuing a merger, shortly after american filed for bankruptcy in 2011. police in southern california say they did not intentionally burn down the

cabin where christopher dorner apparently died. john blackstone tells us why two of his time victims say he didn't seem like a bad man. >> hello, were. >> karen and jim reynolds are breaking their silence. they're the owners of mountain vista resort, where accused cop killer christopher dorner had been tracking them down. on a routine check on one of their units, dorner surprised them from upstairs. >> and he opened the door and came out at us. and he had his gun drawn. >> he yelled "stay calm" and ran out. >> he trucked to -- talked to us, trying to calm us down and saying very frequently, he would not kill us. >> he said, i don't have a problem with you. i just want to clear my name. >> reporter: dorner had been keeping an eye on jim ask karen for days and although he had broken in and tied them up, he felt compelled to pay them an unexpected compliment.

>> he said we are very hard workers, we're good people. he talked about how he could see jim working on the snow every day. >> said he had been watching us and saw me shoveling the snow. >> reporter: dorner left the couple behind and tried to take their car. but he soon returned. asking how to start their keyless nissan. later, the reynolds' managed to undo their restraints and call police. a few hours later, the manhunt was over. [ gunshots ] and although the reynolds were aware of dorner's alleged trail of violence, they couldn't help but feel some compassion for their captor. >> i didn't wish him dead, though, at any point. i really didn't. i prayed for him a lot. and i'm praying for his family now. >> reporter: jim and karen reynolds say they do in the expect to receive any part of the $1 million reward offered for dorner's capture. a major honor for former secretary of state hillary clinton. she received the department of

defense medal for distinguished public service. she was praised for enhancing the cooperation between the state department. clinton left her post earlier this month. president obama is in georgia today, rallying support for his plan to to expand the preschool program. he got a little face time with children enjoying their preschool. >> reporter: children at this atlanta area preschool visited their special classroom visitor with hugs. president obama stopped by to play a little "i spy" and make the case that early education centers like this one do more than get children ready for kindergarten. >> they're also more likely to grow up reading and doing math at grade level, graduating from high school, holding a job. >> reporter: the president wants to make preschool available to every child in america. he is pushing a plan that would give states incentives to expand their own pre-k programs with an emphasis on helping low-

income families. >> the lack of access to a great preschool education can have an impact on their entire lives. >> reporter: here at martha's table in washington, where there is a long, pre-k waiting list, any additional financial help would be welcomed. >> the small grouping. and that building of a child in a hollestic way-- holistic way cost. >> before the president can move forward with expanding preschool programs, he'll have to get the state and house republicans on board. >> reporter: congressman john kline chairs the house education committee. he said the federal government already spends millions on 40 different early childhood programs. >> it's very hard to justify new money until we see what his priorities are and how he's going to pay for them. >> reporter: republicans want to see the president's entire budget before they sign off on any new programs. at the white house, tara mergener, wjz eyewitness news. >> the impending automatic

budget cuts are threatening current and head start programs. 70,000 students could be affected, according to the obama administration. check in with eyewitness news at 6:00. for these stories and more, coming up, vic is standing by with a preview. trouble in towson. several vehicles in an accident at goucher college. new at 6:00, how long it will be before when the driver failed to stop for a state trooper. also ahead, should the most violent criminals be put to death? it's a controversial subject. right now, maryland legislators are debating what to do with the death penalty. wjz's mary bubala. >> do you feel an eye for an eye? >> should marylandy peel the death penalty-- maryland repeal the death penalty? next. back to you. >> thank you, vic. and still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. orioles' spring training workouts in florida. >> mark has the latest from one of the team's top pitchers coming up.

the baseball birds are hard at work at their spring training complex in florida. more on the o's early hopes of

a play-off run last year. that would be so nice, mark. >> we'll see if they can do it. and any conversation this spring is going to have a reference to the team's surprising success of last season. and the single greatest reason was the outstanding work of their pitching staff. spring training report, day two of pitcher workouts. last season, jason hamill was one of the orioles' new guys. obtained in a trade. first season in baltimore. better than many expected. though a knee injury caused him to miss all of august. though he said he is 100% healthy now. and happy to be back for his second season with the o's. >> definitely comfortable. the guys were open arms, willing, last year, letting me in and treating me really well and they had my back from game 1. obviously this year, i am healthy now.

have have to get back to work on things. >> miguel gonzalez threw from the bull pen mound today. they appear to be the favorites for four of the five spots in the rotation, with a number of candidates vying for that spot. i'll have more, plus an off- season injury update for a key ravens player. and we'll check in with the national loyola team coming up all ahead in sports at 6:00. back to you. >> all right. thank you, mark. an injured lager head turtle is swimming again, thanks to a pair of prosthetic flippers. yuchan showed off her flippers. this is the 27th pair of flippers made for the turtle, since she was rescued from a japanese fishing net in 2008. wow, she's huge. these flew flippers are strapped onto a jacket that

researchers strap to her body. >> is so cool. still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. >> breach of policy? i'm mike hellgren at roseroad. where an officer was shot in the head this week. i'll have new information on what went on that led

coming up on wjz's

eyewitness news at 6:00. tragic mistake. accidental shooting on a police trainee. the instructor is identified and the possible criminal charges. laying the death penalty to rest. i'm pat warren. coming up on eyewitness news. governor o'malley leads a group of advocates in repeal of the death penalty. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, it wasn't just a rough morning on the roads. it was deadly. that story as eyewitness news continues. crippled cruise ship. food shortages. no working bathrooms. when will the triumph finally get back to port? check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now.

training tragedy. a police trainee, shot in the head during an exercise. >> tonight, who pulled the trigger? and why a criminal investigation is now under way. >> hello, everyone. i'm vic carter. and i'm denise koch. when here's what people are talking about tonight. >> wjz continues to uncover new details about the shooting that has an officer fighting for his life. state police now say it is a criminal investigation. wjz is live at city police headquarters. investigator mike hellgren continues to dig into exactly how this happened and who could be held accountable. mike? >> reporter: vic, we have a lot